In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
You look so good to me
Here in this old saloon
Way back in West Berlin
A bottle of white wine
White wine and you
A table made of wood
And how I wish you would
Fall in love with me
You look so good to me
Standing out in the street
With your cheap fur on
Or maybe your plastic raincoat
And your plastic shoes
They look good too
Standing in the snow
You're younger than you look
Fall in love with me
Fall in love with me
How I wish you would
A table made of wood
And a, a bottle of white wine
And you and a bottle of white wine and you
And when you're standing in the street and it's cold
And it snows on you
And you look younger than you really are
I wish you would
Fall in love with me
I wish you would
Fall in love with me
I wish you would
Fall in love with me
I wish you would
Fall in love with me yeah, yeah
The way your eyes are black
The way your hair is black
The way your heart is young
There's just a few like you
Just the kind I need
To fall in love with me
Oh, and you look so good
Oh, yes, you look so good
A bottle of white wine
A cigarette and you
Here in this saloon
White wine and you
I wish you'd fall in love with me
I wish you'd fall in love with me
'Cause there's just a few like you
So young and real
There's just a few like you
So young and real
Fall in love with me
Fall in love with me
Fall in love with me
Fall in love with me
I wish you would
You look so good
Oh, when you're young at heart
There's just a few like you
You're young at heart
Won't you
Come to this old saloon?
Come to my waiting arms
A table made of wood
And I will look at you
'Cause you're so young and pure
And you're young at heart
You're young at heart
A bottle of white wine
And when you're tumbling down
You just look better
When you're tumbling down
You just look finer
Here in this old saloon
Way back in West Berlin
A bottle of white wine
White wine and you
A table made of wood
And how I wish you would
Fall in love with me
You look so good to me
Standing out in the street
With your cheap fur on
Or maybe your plastic raincoat
And your plastic shoes
They look good too
Standing in the snow
You're younger than you look
Fall in love with me
Fall in love with me
How I wish you would
A table made of wood
And a, a bottle of white wine
And you and a bottle of white wine and you
And when you're standing in the street and it's cold
And it snows on you
And you look younger than you really are
I wish you would
Fall in love with me
I wish you would
Fall in love with me
I wish you would
Fall in love with me
I wish you would
Fall in love with me yeah, yeah
The way your eyes are black
The way your hair is black
The way your heart is young
There's just a few like you
Just the kind I need
To fall in love with me
Oh, and you look so good
Oh, yes, you look so good
A bottle of white wine
A cigarette and you
Here in this saloon
White wine and you
I wish you'd fall in love with me
I wish you'd fall in love with me
'Cause there's just a few like you
So young and real
There's just a few like you
So young and real
Fall in love with me
Fall in love with me
Fall in love with me
Fall in love with me
I wish you would
You look so good
Oh, when you're young at heart
There's just a few like you
You're young at heart
Won't you
Come to this old saloon?
Come to my waiting arms
A table made of wood
And I will look at you
'Cause you're so young and pure
And you're young at heart
You're young at heart
A bottle of white wine
And when you're tumbling down
You just look better
When you're tumbling down
You just look finer
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
this could be about a girl that iggy saw or had met in berlin ("Here in this old saloon, way back in west berlin"). but iggy and bowie traveled to berlin so iggy could get off of heroin and they were going to cut an album while there. and it's also known, especially now, that iggy and bowie had a sexual or romantic relationship, which iggy was known for having relations with men. so, this could be about a night they had or their relationship in berlin, which seemed to of ended when they returned to the states.